Root admits World Cup heartache

England batsman and broken thumb victim Joe Root has made good use of his free time by answering questions from his supporters on his official Facebook page which included some positive news after missing the World Twenty20.

The 23-year-old suffered a broken thumb on his way to scoring his maiden One Day International hundred for his country in Antigua earlier this month but he has revealed it is progressing well.

After an original x-ray showed it had been broken in eight places he had it re-scanned on Monday which showed his injury has started to heal. However, he will still miss the Twenty20 World Cup and admitted to his Facebook fans he was “absolutely gutted” in one of his open and honest answers.

The youngster spent over an hour speaking to England cricket fans, answering a vast array of questions which included an update on his injury, the best sledge he’s ever received and who would win in a fight between a shark and a pair of trousers!

It has been a whirlwind 15 months for Root after making his debut in India in 2012 he has gone on to experience the ups and downs of life as an international cricketer in the England team. He has scored centuries, lost in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy, won the Ashes 3-0, lost the Ashes 5-0, scored 180 at Lord’s amongst other high and low lights.

Andy Flower has since left his role as chief of the England team whilst controversial batsman Kevin Pietersen has been dismissed by the ECB while Root has stuck to his guns and been a mainstay in the England set-up.

The Yorkshireman will be hoping to return to the England team in May ahead of a huge summer of cricket against Sri Lanka and India. During his Q&A he revealed his disappointment at missing the World Cup but said he is eager to return as soon as possible.

“(I’m) Absolutely gutted, I was really looking forward to it and I got myself into some form after some good work in Antigua and its things like World Cups is the reason I play the game but unfortunately these things happen in professional sport and you have to learn to deal with them and bounce back.

“It’s (the right thumb) not as bad now, it was quite sore on the day and for a few days after but the pain is solely decreasing and everything is improving which is nice.”

Root was starting to get back to the form of last summer where he scored centuries against New Zealand and Australia before the injury struck. After reaching three figures in a warm up fixture in the Caribbean he went on to score a hundred in the final ODI against West Indies to help England to victory in Antigua to underline his class in all formats, something which he has to adapt to, he admitted on Facebook.

“You don’t have a choice to be honest, you either think on your feet and adapt or you don’t play. It’s all about reading the situation quickly and adapting to it.”

Root answered 14 questions in the interaction with his fans which included a video response, pictures and also text replies to his adoring fans. One of the answers was particularly revealing with a number of people asking who is his best friend in the England team to which he replied: “Good question, I get on very well with a lot of the lads.

“Brezzy being a fellow Yorkie, Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes too but overall it is a great environment to be in.”

Over 1,000 questions were fired at the Sheffield born batsman and for a full review of Root’s question and answer session then visit his Facebook page.

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